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Obies pay homage to Ani

Oberlin students monopolize the crowd at concert

by Claire A. Koczak

Ani DiFranco is not a pretty girl. No, she's energetic, bubbly and full of attitude. She speaks as she sings and sings as she speaks. Shrewdly observant personal lyrics are at the same time universal lyrics. DiFranco played at Peabody's Down Under, a club in the Flats of Cleveland, Sunday.

The line outside of the club began early for the sold-out show. The first people in line had been there since four, when the doors weren't supposed to open until 7 p.m.

A large chunk, if not the majority of the crowd were Oberlin students. Everywhere people turned they were recognizing fellow Obies. "Gee," a member of the crowd had said while standing in line before the show, "maybe she should have just come to Oberlin?" (She's been here already - in 1993.) Even as the show filed out afterwards another was heard to say, "God, is everyone here from Oberlin?"

Peabody's, not a huge club to begin with, was packed even before Ani came on. The crowd pushed forward, the crowd pushed backward, everyone jockeyed for a good position. After we'd been shoved hip to hip, and participated in that gentle but firm game of maintaining a spot on the floor, the tall, familiar guy next to me turned and asked if I'd just like to flip him for the spot. Sheepishly grinning, and as some woman in front of me bashed her loose bun of hair in my mouth, I apologized. At least Obies can have a sense of humor about this stuff.

The opening act from Milwaukee, Wisc., was the The Gufs. Yeah, I'd never heard of them either. The Gufs, a five-member all-male band, with an upcoming album with Atlantic Records, played a decent sort of standard rock. Their set could have been half as short and it would have been better. The songs weren't individual enough, way too long as well. Toward 9:15 p.m. the audience was restless for Ani.

Unfortunately a guy came onto the stage and said that there were still people waiting in line outside, so DiFranco was going to delay her entrance. "Ani's being a diva," an audience member said. My friend impatiently said, "I'm beginning to like her less." It was an empty threat, because everyone was eating her critical words before DiFranco was even halfway through the first song.

It was not until 10 p.m. that DiFranco bounded onto the small stage. A petite, energetic woman stood before the crowd, a wide and mischievous smile playing on her face. In the intimate concert space it was easy to see that the smile was genuine. DiFranco appeared bratty with dyed green out-of-control hair, a cut-up black T-shirt and heavy silver jewelry, but she also shone sweet with glinting magical eyes.

Seeing DiFranco for the first time in concert, it occurred to me that the intimate and close setting of Peabody's, though cramped and uncomfortable for the standing audience, was ideal for an artist such as DiFranco. On recordings of her songs her voice is as close as a whisper sung into your ear. To reproduce the sound achieved in her albums a small club was ideal.

DiFranco opened with a nearly subdued version of "Worthy" from Not A Pretty Girl , followed by "Buildings and Bridges" from the Out of Range album. The songs throughout the show came from Not A Pretty Girl (1995), Out of Range (1994) and a couple from Like I Said (songs 1990-1991) released in 1993, her three most recent albums.

Concertgoers were anxious about the next album. DiFranco explained the new album would be out in a couple of months. She also commented on the length and songs included in the upcoming album. "Now that I'm Miss Fucking-long-winded-rock-opera babe," she stopped to laugh with the audience, "There are 11 songs on the album, and it's over an hour long." From the crowd, people inquired about their favorite songs, "Fucking Napoleon" (which will be included) and "As Is" (which will not be included). "Any of the songs that weren't tortured enough we had to leave out." DiFranco looked down at her guitar, laughed lightly and shrugged impishly, "keeping with the theme, ya know." (Immediately following questions about the album another voice yelled, "When are you coming to Oberlin?" A great cheering, clapping and hooting exploded from the crowd. But DiFranco never responded.)

Songs receiving exceptional audience praise were "Not a Pretty Girl" and "32 Flavors." During "32 Flavors" the audience's voices lifted to join DiFranco's. A dramatic surround-sound effect was created, as the tones of the music swam throughout the audience. The delicate, stirring song, which everyone knew the lyrics to, brought the audience together in adoration of DiFranco. "Tiptoe," also from Not A Pretty Girl was a crowd pleaser. The tight-spoken introduction captured attention and awe, then the song burst out with energy into "Cradle and All." The last song of DiFranco's packed hour-long set was a loud rambunctious version of "Shy." The song gave an awesome final thrill to the concert.

There was only one short encore, of about three songs, but it was not to be missed. During the encore, when DiFranco introduced a song that she had not actually written, the crowd reaction was perplexed, perhaps a little disappointed. But as the opening chords of "Superfreak" played audience members grinned. DiFranco's rendition was fun, a luscious expression animated DiFranco's face as she obviously enjoyed the song.

So much of Ani DiFranco's appeal comes from the line she walks between sweet and playful, angry and confrontational. Her clear rich voice lilts and coos, then yells and hollers. Her crisp acoustic guitar playing, good in and of itself, supports and plays around DiFranco's voice, jabbing and confronting, then accompanying softly and supporting her voice.

DiFranco is labeled as a punk folk singer. She certainly is not anything like the typical folk singer that comes to mind, the kind our parents listened to. No long skirts and flowers in the hair here. DiFranco is tough and loudmouthed, opinionated, giving a new edge to folk singing which characterizes our generation. A song on the upcoming album, "Unforgettable Face," also known as the "Fuck You Song" is exemplary of DiFranco's contemporary attitude. The song reflects on wanting someone who's already found the ideal love - with somebody else. What's to say but, "Fuck you"? It's no surprise that the predominately Oberlin audience received the attitude of this song about frustrated love and desire so well.

DiFranco's songs are honest and reflective. Another new song DiFranco introduced was typical of her style, "It's a hard rain, a cold rain/ the kind you hear about in songs/ And I guess that makes me the jerk with a broken heart/ here to tell you how I've been done wrong." DiFranco sings from individual experience and acknowledges her personal voice in the songs. The thoughtful poetry of DiFranco's lyrics captures universal experience and becomes undeniably appealing. It leaves us all aching for DiFranco to return someday to Oberlin.


Photo:
Ani DeFranco: The folk-punk singer played at Peabody's Down Under


Oberlin

Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 124, Number 16; March 1, 1996

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